Happy Summer!

I hope you are all having a fantastic summer!  Things are still the same around here.  Hectic schedule, play with LJ, dinner with Jax, rinse and repeat.  But let's chit chat about something different today, shall we?

LJ's first birthday is tomorrow.  TOMORROW.  Holy shit.  One year ago at this very moment, I was in labor.  I didn't know I was in labor.  Actually, I think more appropriately, I was in labor and denial at the same time.

After about 5 hours of "cramps, " and on my mother's advice, I called the doctor's office.  When I explained what was happening, the nurse laughed at me and told me to go to labor and delivery.  I was one day shy of 39 weeks.

We got on the road to make the hour and 15 minute drive to the hospital and my contractions had finnaly gotten painful.  They were only 3 minutes apart.  It was a little scary, but I had faith that I wasn't going to have my baby on the side of the road.  By the way, they will NOT give you an epidural in the hospital parking lot.  I asked.

Long story short, I started having cramps around 11am, got to the hospital around 7pm, and had my epidural around 9:30pm.  The epi slowed my contractions, so they gave me the smalled bit of pitocin.  I was 10 cm dilated by 11pm.  After two hours of pushing, and me spiking a 102 degree fever, my baby boy was born at 1:01am.

Labor wasn't bad at all.  The first few weeks were hell.  But I would do it all over again.  LJ is perfect.  We are very blessed.

He is almost walking.  He says bo-ty (bottle), Doooo (Duke), Mama, Da-ddy (hilarious to hear), na-na (night night), bear, fiss (fish), uh-oh, and duun (done).  That's all I can think of right now.  And he signs "more" and "all done." 

He goes to bed around 7:30pm and sleeps until anywhere between 5:30 and 6:30am.  Sometimes we are lucky and he sleeps until 7, but usually it is around 6.

It is hard to believe that a year has gone by.  And I know how very lucky and blessed I am to have such a happy, healthy little boy.

Y'all have a great weekend!  We will be celebrating with good food, cake, ice cream, and fun presents!

Break

So it seems that I've taken a bit of an unintentional bloggy break.  Sorry about that.  My day is so crammed these days that I just can't seem to find the time... hell, most days I can barely put a sentence together, much less write something worth reading.  Yes, I'm whining.  It is annoying.  No one wants to read that, right?

In an effort to make everyone feel my pain- not really- I'm going to give you a run down of a day in the life of AJ.  Fasten your seat belts.

5:15- alarm goes off.  Check Twitter and see what I missed, duh.
5:30- coffee, news, try to wake up a little
5:45- more than likely LJ is waking so I have to scoop him up, get him changed, and give him some puffs
6:00- wake up Jax, hand off LJ for a bottle, start getting ready for work
6:45- start packing up LJ's stuff for the day
6:50- hopefully out the door
7:05- drop LJ off at daycare
8:25- get to work, if traffic was light I might grab a latte on the way in

*At this point I bust my ass until 5:00.  Sometimes I get a lunch break, but most often I don't.  I'm the only person in my office right now.  It super SUCKS.

5:00- leave my office to sit in traffic
6:15- get home, if I'm lucky and traffic wasn't too bad
6:17- get a glass of wine
6:20- start fixing LJ's dinner
6:30- feed LJ
6:45- LJ's bath
7:00- LJ gets a bottle
7:15- get LJ ready for bed
7:30- start cooking dinner, eat, maybe watch a show on tv
9:00- hopefully getting in bed so that I can try to get a full 8 hours of sleep

Seriously, I couldn't make this shit up.  Everyone's got their busy days. 

Cuteness Overload

My precious little boy....  He isn't really a baby anymore.  Take a look at the proof.

And my other baby boy

I'm one lucky mother.  Okay, I can't lie... that last sentence was funny.  Just me?  Sorry, I have a weird sense of humor.  I hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day weekend!

One Year Ago...

This was me about a year ago.  It is so hard to believe it was a year ago!  It seems like it has been five years.  My little baby is turning into a little boy.  And I can't lie, when I look at these I miss being pregnant. 



Oh My Girls Weekend

Yep, it has taken me this long to somewhat recover.  Well, kind of.  I'm still tired, but these days when is that not the case?  So I got an amazing stress relief by hanging with the friends who know me best.  And thank God because that means they know what to expect out of me.

We stayed on Isle of Palms in Little Daina's fiancee's beach house.  Pretty sweet.  Doesn't get much better than that!  Drinks were ON as soon as we got to the house.  And snacks.  Good Lord the snacks.  And cupcakes.  From Cupcake.  Pure heaven.

Anyway, aside from the food... the weekend was magnificent.  Joy and I slept in a striped room.  It was vomit-inducingly striped.  Navy and white stripes that made the room seem like it was spinning.  And no, that wasn't the alcohol.

We went out Friday night for Mexican.  Excuse me, nasty Mexican food.  The server couldn't speak English and gave me some strange combination of chips, beef (?), and cheese that was supposed to be nachos.  I love nachos almost as much as I love cupcakes, so this was a major travesty.  For anyone who doesn't know me, I do not hide my feelings well.  AT.  ALL.  Not to mention that the server looked at me funny when I asked where the sour cream, and gaucamole, and lettuce, and tomato, and SHIT THAT OUGHT TO BE ON FUCKING NACHOS was.  Sorry for my outburst, but I'm passionate about nachos.

Luckily, we went back to the house before anyone else could piss me off.  We had a lovely time chit chatting over wine and I actually woke up Saturday morning feeling great!

Well, great until I had breakfast.  It was fantastic, but my stomach isn't used to much more than a granola bar and coffee in the morning.  Oh, and speaking of coffee, it seems that I may have woken up everyone in the house when I went into the kitchen at 7:00am to make coffee.  It was a total Folgers moment, for sure.

Linds and I went shopping and she introduced me to the Dollar Spot at Target.  I got an awesome Royal Hat for just $2.50!  And I bought Joy some neon green Kanye West glasses... that she still hasn't worn.   Whatevs.

Since I burnt up my check card, I figured the next best thing to do was go burn on the beach.  Of course I wore my SPF, buuuuttt I may have gotten a little on the crispy side.  Actually, in some strange places.  That spray stuff is weird.  I do believe at one point in the evening I said that it looked like I had flames coming from my crotchal region.  Hmmm.  Anyway.

Little Daina's lingerie shower was hilarious.  The girl has never worn a thong in her life.  She was so cute and embarrassed and Gung-Ho at the same time.  She is pretty dang awesome.  Then we all got showered and changed and headed out to dinner.  PS. someone may or may not have gotten punched in the ass a few times by someone who might have gotten roofied out on the beach.  Or something like that.  I don't think the roofied person spoke much English, so it is hard to know really what was going on.

Dinner was nice, dancing afterward was super fun, and I was damn tired by the time we got back to the beach house.  I haven't spent that much time with the girls in a long time and it was much overdue.

As promised, I have no pictures.  Well, yet.  I might be able to steal some off of Facebook or something.  It might be a good thing that we don't do this often.  It might just kill me.  Oh yeah, and before I forget, I had a massive chocolate cupcake with a mountain of chocolate icing and fudge on top for breakfast on Sunday.  The perfect ending to a pretty perfect weekend.  xoxo to my favorite girls :)

Guest Post: Frenemies

Ladies and Gents, it is time again for a Guest Post from my good friend over at Ghostman on 3.  I'm sorry I've been so absent, but maybe this small exchange of fightin' words will make up for it.  This is how we spend our precious evenings conversing with each other.  For real.

 

The Twitterverse is all abuzz this morning, following the announcement from @ajakz of an old-fashioned street fight, aka dance-off, between herself and @jambon3. While the challenge appears to be nothing more than some "friendly competition," rest assured these things never end nicely. Feelings will get hurt, asses will be made, muscles will be pulled. It's not going to be pretty. But, then again, what duals are??

 

So, how did this all transpire?? Was @jambon3 provoking @ajakz, attempting to take advantage of @ajakz's recent knocked-upness? Was @ajakz bluffing, knowing all along she has a massive advantage (i.e., years of dance experience vs. @jambon3's years of watching Soul Train and The Grind on TV and subsequent failed attempts to replicate moves in public)? Was this just all for publicity to promote @ajakz's new movie or @jambon3's new t-shirt? Was this just an attempt to overshadow the "reason for the season," i.e., Daina? Was this the result of drunken text messages? Who will be the Vegas favorite to bring the title home? Will the world be able to pick sides without feeling guilty?

 

Anyways-the original question was, how did this all happen? It kind of (verbatim) went down like this:

 

Joy: "....I can't stand the thought of being on the receiving end of your infamous 'stank eye.' Pls smile &get drunk with me!!

 

AJ: "I told you, I'm going with the flow. It is so fucking on. Word."

 

Joy: "are you interested in bars or clubs Saturday night? Do u have any recommendations?"

 

AJ: "Doesn't matter. A bar with a tv would be nice, so I can unleash my inner redneck and check on the race."

 

Joy: "Ohhh. I don't even know who you are anymore...."

Joy: "Clubs do kind of suck....I'm a baseball gal, meself."

 

AJ: "Hmmmm, I can still bust a move with the best of 'em."

 

Joy: "Dance off!!!"

 

AJ: "Oh hell to the Yes Ma'am! Bring it."

 

Joy: "Oh Imma bring it. Its been brought (COD, though)"

 

AJ: "Imma let you finish, but I'm the best dance in the world."

 

Joy: "They call me Beyone at work...Just so you know.."

 

AJ: "Beyone? Is that like Beyonce? But the white version?"

 

Joy: "Dick"

Joy: "Beers"

 

AJ: "Dick beers? They make those? LOL"

 

Joy: "Gross. I hope not. Lol hard, tho."

Joy: "Oh. Ha. Just saw your Kayne joke. Love it!!"

 

AJ: "I love it, too!"

 

Joy: "Seriously, though. I've been accepted to this elite dance school but have befriended some African Americans who have been tring to teach my how to be cool and less white. Basically, I've got moooooves. I learnt them on th streets.."

 

AJ: "Maybe we can have a preview Friday before our big dance off Saturday in da cluuub."

 

Joy: "Hmmm...that would then give you time to practice...ehh..I guess I could hold back some.... Done."

 

AJ: "Oh, don't hold back on my account. I'm gonna go all Usher on your ass. Would say Britney, but she's cray-cray."

 

Joy: "Never! I'm bringing my meat dress, my scars from bashing Rhiana's face in, &my Justin Bieber harcut Sat nite & will probably do nothing more than embarrass myself."

 

AJ: "I'm coming in an egg/embryo."

 

Joy: "I'm going to just appear...there may be an explosion and some lights or something, but I will seemingly appear from fire...."

 

AJ: "I'm going to wear a big snake."

 

Joy: "I'm going to light my jheri curl in fire &pee my pants on-stage. I may or may not lip-synch my greatest hits."

 

AJ: "Well I'm gonna get fat and then go on Jenny Craig, the be on Dancing with the Stars and make out with Madonna at the mtv awards."

AJ: "I might even commission Weird Al to make a parody of the whole thing."

 

Joy: "I'm going to shave my head and go pantiless. I might dance at some point, while I pretend to not be married to Jay-Z."

 

So, as you see, it began very friendly and quickly turned durrrrty. And by dirty, I mean ridiculous. But, let's not be distracted by all the hype. Because there is going to be hype. Let's just focus on one thing: Are you Team Joy or Team AJ? You can't be both, and you can't choose neither. It's kind of like the ultimate "Sophie's Choice" but set in the lovely Charleston, as opposed to the Holocaust...

 

This Dance Off will commence Saturday night, or sometime this weekend.  One of us will post pictures- I think you know it probably won't be me, but I will try!  Have a good one!

Hey Summer, You Are Being Warned

When I left for work yesterday morning, it was almost cold outside.  When I returned?  It was warm, the air was heavy with moisture... and it was awesome.  Summer is coming!  And I intend to make every moment count.  I plan to spend all of my time in the sun, water, and fresh air with my family and friends.

As far as I am concerned, summer officially begins next weekend.  One of my dear friends from high school is getting married and we are celebrating the end to her single days with a nice, relaxing weekend at the Isle of Palms.  Okay, so maybe not relaxing, but I swear my goal is to get a nap in at some point (please?!). 

So I can just jet over after work and begin a little mini-vacation!  YAY!  The plan so far... food, drinks, more food, more drinks... and some time on the beach (weather permitting).  My new bikini is on the way.  I can't wait!!!

And OHMAHGAWD, my baby is turning a year old in less than TWO months!  I seriously might die.  Time to start the party planning!  They say that the party for the first year is more of a celebration for the parents.  You know, like, "We made it a whole year and he is still breathing!  High five!"  Yep, that will be us.  Because a lot of this year has been more about survival than anything else.  And it has been amazing.

Alright summer, BRING. IT. ON!

My Stories

A couple of years ago, my favorite soap was cancelled.  I watched Guiding Light religiously.  I mean RELIGIOUSLY.  It was a sad, sad day when it ended.

Now One Life to Live and All My Children are going, too.  I watch OLTL every once in a while.  It is so frustrating to me that a whole genre of television is disappearing.  And to be replaced with what?  The Chew and The Revolution.  More reality tv.  Fantastic.

I'm kind of over the whole reality thing.  Sure, I watched my share or Big Brother and I LUVED Laguna Beach and The Hills.  But I'm pretty much over it.  Give me some good 'ole fiction, escapism any day of the week.  Or every Monday through Friday, as the case may be.

Oh, and The Chew is supposed to be similar to The View.  Wow.  How original. 

I don't care if the same story is rehashed several times.  I don't mind suspending my disbelief and seeing someone come back on the canvas after I watched them die on screen.  And I certainly don't mind the abundance of hot guys that flood my television screen.

I don't want reality.  I want to live in a fantasy world sometimes.  Every once in a while it feels good to curl up on the couch with a glass of wine and watch my stories. 

Oh well.  Here's hoping that The Young & The Restless and General Hospital stick around a while longer.

My Fantasy List Post Should Be Here

I typed it yesterday, intended to post it today, but accidentally hit publish.  So today you get this...

A lovely picture of me and a few of my friends at the Prince concert.  I am in the pink, holding my jacket because I'm too cool to wear it indoors.  My hair is a mess and I have on sparkly silver and black boots.  The end.

My Fantasy List

I love making lists.  Like, REALLY love making lists.  To the extent that I am currently keeping a "fantasy" list on my Blackberry.  This list consists of items I plan to purchase when I get an awesomely fabulous job and can afford anything I've ever wanted.  Well, okay, not everything.  And I'm staying within a salary range of, oh let's say $70,000.  Something realistic.  So here is my list, including commentary.  And it is entitled "Stuff" if you ever come across my BB and need an update. 

Stuff

• Blue dress-  I have a certain one picked out
• VS stuff-  Victoria's Secret, and clearly I overuse the word "stuff"
• Shoes-  As in Manolos, Choos, Louboutins
• Ulta-  Everything in it, just in general
• Work Clothes-  Because I need some
• Netflix-  I really want to start a new series, and I want to see the Wild Whites of WV or whatever it is called.  Also, I don't have time for a new series, as my DVR is already about to explode... or implode?  Whatever.
• Freezer-  Speaking of exploding, we need one to put in the garage.
• Electric knife-  This is for Jax.  Why would I need an electric knife?
• Maternity proofs-  Because I never bought them a year ago.

Just an example...
• Men's Wearhouse-  Again, for Jax.  I am so thoughtful!  I never realized this about myself (totally kidding, I knew- again, kidding).
• Light comforter-  So I don't have to listen to Jax bitch about being hot.
• Zumba-  I have no idea why this is on my list.  It should probably say liposuction instead.

And there you have it.  I am materialistic, but I love my husband.  LJ is not included because I pretty much just buy whatever I feel like I want need for him.

Spring is Springing! Part 1

 My driveway

 Miniature yellow roses in the backyard

 The blooms on the blueberry bush!

 The grapevine... maybe I'll try to make homemade wine this year.

 The pear tree looking much better this year.

Pretty little flowers

We live in Jax's grandmothers old house.  You may remember me mentioning that we are remodeling it.  Very slowly.  Anyway, she was an avid gardener.  Our yard has so many different kinds of flowers that bloom at different times.  Everything is SO pretty.  But my absolute favorite is the Tea Olive Tree.  If you are ever in the market for a pretty tree that blooms year around and smells fantastic, get a Tea Olive.  Delightful.

Okay, so this is part one.  IF I can ever get my slow computer to upload the pics, there will be a part two!

1Q 2011: Update

I am doing surprisingly well on my goals for this year.  Yay me! 


1.  Read 5 books:  The Twilight series, Hot Mahoghany by Stuart Woods (love me some Stone Barrington, RAWR)

2.  Attend a concert or Best of Broadway musical:  PRINCE!

3.  Visit somewhere new.

4.  Take Jake to the zoo.

5.  Meet one of my blog friends.

6.  Try 5 new, fairly complicated recipes.

7.  Help Jax re-do our yard, plant flowers, etc.

8.  Finish Little J's baby book:  In progress

9.  Organize all of my recipes.

10.  Join a new organization:  I'm a Stella & Dot rep!  Oh, and I joined my church.


I believe I am making some good progress.  We shall consider the 1st Quarter a raging success!

So A Guy Walks Out of A Bar

And falls down.  Well, actually the woman with him fell down.  And then he fell down.

It was cool and raining, but I promise there was no ice in sight.  The woman's feet flew out from under her, as if she was walking across a frozen lake.  The guy... well, I'm pretty sure that he began leaning as he watched her fall, and just kept leaning.  Until he completed a full face plant into the ground.

Jax, the gentleman he is, tried to help them up.  Their doggie bag of chicken wings were scattered with a few lone wings floating in the pooled water.  They finally both managed to grip the little wall between the porch and the parking lot.  And let me tell you, they were holding on for dear life.

The woman was crying.  A big, 'ole, ugly cry.  The man slipped back down the wall.  Looking for something?  Perhaps.  And then there went his lady friend.  They sat in the water, with sheets of rain pouring down on them, for about 15 minutes.  As I sipped my drink, I watched.

The man finally got up.  And he cranked up his truck.

The situation suddenly wasn't funny anymore.  I went into the bar and spoke with the bartenders- who it turned out had served them 23 shots, and I'm going to assume that was NOT per person.  The bartenders just stared at me like I'd grown another head when I told them that the couple was seemingly going to attempt to drive off in their current state.  Even the owner of the bar acted like he couldn't have cared less.

Finally, the bar manager went outside after them.  He took their keys. 

I am not sure when I have been so disappointed in someone else's morals or ethics or whatever.  Forget that the bar owner could have been sued if, or more likely WHEN, there had been an accident.  I am completely dumbfounded by the fact that anyone could stand there and watch someone so completely trashed get behind the wheel of a car. 

Stopping them from driving out of that parking lot was purely selfish on my part.  Because one day one of my loved ones may be on the road when a drunk leaves a bar.

A Realization

I've been unhappy in my job for a while now.  Switching properties only made it worse.  A couple of days ago I realized that I was just making things harder on myself. 

I got frustrated very easily.  Mostly with coworkers who have no clue what they are doing.  I'm tired of cleaning up messes that others are making.  I don't want to be in this field.  I'm tired of being exhausted when I wake up in the morning because I begin my day so early, stay on the road about 3 hours a day, and then get home just in time to put my baby to bed and get in bed myself.

It is tiring.  But it is no one's fault.  And blaming everyone else, no matter how incompetent they seem to be, wasn't helping.  It was making things worse.

So I've resolved to try and make the best of it.  It won't change the mind-numbing monotony of my day.  And it won't make the questions that literally pain me any less tedious.  But maybe it will help me to not feel like I'm about to jump out of my skin every day.  Maybe I won't fly into a murderous rage when someone cuts me off on the interstate- well, I will probably do that anyway.

But you know what else?  I actually found that I kind of like the coworker who was driving me bat shit crazy.  She really is nice and she is trying to learn.  Maybe I should just get over myself and try to turn this situation around.

The Most Beautiful Word

I guess, is not really a word at all.  It is actually just letters... sounds... strung together... all mashed up.  Mmmmmmmmamamamamamama.  Ma Ma.  Mama.  Momma.  However you want to spell it.  It is the best word.  Ever.

And even though it mostly comes when he is whiny, unlike the happy Dadadadadada in the mornings, it is still the best part of my day. 

Better than that?  When he says it as he is working so hard to make it out of the living room and into the kitchen where I am cooking.  Or when I'm sitting on the couch and he wants to be with me instead of on the floor playing.  Or when the tears are flowing and nothing can make it right except me holding him.

My sweet boy.  He loves his Mama.  But not possibly as much as I love him.

The Prince and I

Or I guess, more appropriately, I should just say...

PRINCE

As in, I got concert tickets.  I am SO excited!!!  More than likely, I will forget my camera.  And my BlackBerry sucks at taking pictures.  But OHMIGAWD I'm going to see PRINCE!

I have no doubt that this is going to be one hell of a show.  If you've seen him live, please weigh in!  Tell me all about it!

The Ides Of March

I am totally being 'ware (beware... whatever).  And, on that note, instead of just waiting for things to happen, which it seems I always am, I'm going to focus on the here and now.

Or maybe on doing my best each work day, so that I can simply- and hopefully quickly- make it to the weekend.

What does this have to do with the Ides of March?  Not sure.  Perhaps, for me, it is more about being AWARE.  Ummm, am I talking in circles?  I feel like I am.  Doesn't matter, I don't feel like editing today.  So, being aware... being focused... making things happen... just living... not always waiting for something better to come along, but actually making things better.

I've got this big thing with karma lately.  You know, like if I do "this" then surely I will be granted/achieve/get what the hell I want "this."  Isn't that how it works?  I guess if it means I'm always trying to do the right thing, then maybe it isn't such a bad thing to ponder.

Uh-oh, Caesar just walked in the door.  Gotta run.

Whew!

I apologize for being so neglectful, but y'all... I can't remember the last time I was so busy!  Here is a rundown:

• LJ has a really bad ear infection.
• My Stella and Dot adventure is going REALLY well!  (Yay!  And PS. let me know if you would like to host a trunk show or online party!)
• I won a Baby Einstein Discovery Kit by simply retweeting- and be sure to follow @BabyEinstein on Twitter if you want to enter one of their contests.  Okay, that wasn't really chaotic.
• I'm working on a new property and things are a mess and I've been put in an impossible place and it is making me crazy.  I mean, y'all, someone might lose their job.  Thankfully, that someone is not me.  But still.
• We had LJ's Christening and fed the masses.  Fun, but tiring.
• Jax had a bachelor party, so I stayed with my parents.  They were kind enough to take us in for the weekend.

This is all over a span of like 2 weeks.  And finally, hopefully, things are calming down a little... oh wait, nope, I totally forgot that Round 2 is coming up.

Take a deep breath AJ....

I'm going to focus on the fact that I will be lunching, in the warm Southern sunshine, with one of my besties on Sunday!  Ghostman on 3rd, otherwise known as Joy, will be meeting me for some frosty beverages at Red's Icehouse.  And if it weren't wishing my entire weekend away I would say "I CAN'T WAIT!!!"  If I remember, which is always a big IF, I will take tons of pictures to post.  Well, of Joy anyway because she is gor-geous and so much fun.

Now, I just have to make it through Friday!

Curveballs

I feel like they are coming at me from all directions.  Just when you think you've got a handle on things, you know?  Curveballs.  Bitches.  Frowny face.

Anyone got a bat I can borrow?

What I would like to do is ignore everything and delve into a new book.  Or just catch up on my blog reading.  Pretty much anything to find some sort of escape from my current hell.  That being work.

Maybe if I can get a solid night of sleep tonight, then just maybe I will be able to come in tomorrow and knock these issues out of the park.

Maybe.

Or maybe not.

And then it starts to make me bitchy.  I hate it when I'm like that. 

The Red Carpet

I didn't finish watching the Oscars last night, due to my ridiculously early bed time.  Hey, a girl has to get her beauty sleep right?  And with the insane hour that I have to get up in the morning, and no guarantee of good sleep, I have to get in bed as early as I can.  Anyway, I didn't finish watching the Oscars.  Yet.

So I had this thought as I was drifting off to sleep.  I had been sitting on the couch watching, and stating my opinion of the fashion on Twitter... why?  What the hell is the big deal?

I love fashion.  I love shoes.  There are no limits as to how much I love shoes, my dears.  But why do we constantly feel the need to digest every fraction of these celebrities in their Chanel and Marchesa and Choos?

Well, I guess that wasn't the exact thought.  More, it was about the people themselves.  Is it the money?  Of course, they can afford or borrow everything they are wearing as they strut down that red carpet.  But why do we tune in to watch them smile and congratulate each other on doing such a great job? 

'Hey, Natalie!  Fantastic job playing that ballerina in Black Swan.  You were amazing and took home an Oscar and a ton of cash.  Smashing!  But did you see that Variance Report that I turned in last Friday?  I rocked that bitch.'

I don't feel like I'm accurately stating my point.  And I may not really be able to.  What makes them so damn special?  I mean, there are plenty of companies that pay their employees generously.  Those employees can probably afford to step out to the company Christmas Gala in Ellie Saab or Tom Ford, but you don't see the paparazzi there capturing each step, or misstep, along the way.

I guess what it boils down to is the age old conundrum of celebrity.  Why them?  Why the need to watch and emulate?  What makes them any better than plain Jane sitting behind a computer screen pondering the meaning of it all? 

Must be the money.  Or the shoes.

Wow I sound really jealous.  Is jealous the right word I'm looking for?  Actually, I'm just more curious.  Although it would be pretty awesome to hit a red carpet- and a few after parties.  Ha!

What The Hell?

No, not as in that Avril Lavigne song, but more as in "What the hell am I going to do with myself when I finish this???"

My life has been filled- no, consumed- with Edward, Bella, and Jacob for like the last five days.  I may or may not have lost a grip on reality.  If I don't resurface soon, please send help.
Actually, I lied.  Don't send help.  This fog is kinda nice.

Too Much

So for the past few days my life has been consumed with planning and reading and partying and just generally trying not to screw anything up.  By the way, I'm majorly failing at that last little thing.

My Stella & Dot Launch party was Saturday.  The planning was ridiculous, but I must say that it seemed like a huge success!  My girlfriends showed up, we ate and drank and played with jewelry, and enjoyed being together.  HUGE thanks to my Mama for cooking all of the food!  And another HUGE thanks to Daddy for keeping LJ entertained!

Let it be known that it is impossible for me to plan two things at one time.  My son's Baptism is this Sunday... am I prepared?  Nope.  Not even close.  Major fail.  I don't think I even want to talk about it anymore.

So let's talk about Twilight, or I guess New Moon.  I borrowed it from a friend on Friday, started reading on Sunday and finished it on Monday.  My conclusion?  Bella is a very flat character.  And very annoying.  She didn't bother me so much in Twilight, but I found her to be completely moronic in New Moon.  Whiny.  Needy.  Overly impulsive.  And yes, I get it that she is supposed to be a teenage girl and they have a flair for the overdramatic- I know that all too well.

That said, I am totally Team Edward.  I don't even understand why there is a Team Jacob.  Maybe I was too busy being irritated with Bella to judge fairly.  Maybe the next book will change my mind.  Maybe I will go buy that book today.  If I do, then y'all won't hear from me for like... oh I don't know... 24 straight hours while I put aside all other obligations?

Am I being too hard on Bella?  I'm feeling quite overwhelmed lately and don't have much patience for anything.  If it were possible for me to go hide under the covers for a week and shut out the entire world, I would totally do it.  There isn't anything wrong, necessarily.  I just want to crawl out of my skin.  I want to be still.  I don't want to think about anything.  I have no motivation.

Maybe I'm just depressed because Jax isn't a vampire.

Weight Update

Some of you asked that I give an update on how Weight Watchers is working for me.  Well, I am pleased to announce that it is going smashingly!  And I mean that in the most awesome of ways.

Each week, I have consistently lost about 1.6 lbs.  It doesn't sound like much, but keep in mind that I'm just trying to lose that last little bit of baby weight.  So, I've lost a total of 4.8 lbs.  Let's just round that up to 5.  So, in three weeks, I've lost about 25% of what I had hoped to lose.  Not bad!

Even more importantly, being on Weight Watchers hasn't really affected the way I eat.  I actually found that I wasn't eating enough, therefore my body was retaining.  That said, sometimes it is hard to fit in my glass or two of wine without going over, but that's what the extra weekly points are for.

The website has a lot of great recipes that other members have posted.  I have two new favorites, ginger chicken and beef and broccoli stir fry.  Wow.  If that is diet food, I'll take it!  Let me know if y'all want recipes and I will be happy to post them.  Oh, and did I mention that they are fairly easy?  I think I have probably told you before that I don't cook anything that is too difficult.

Now if only I could find time to excercise ::coughcoughCouch25Kcoughcough::

The warm weather is completely inspiring me to move my ass.  As in, get some fresh air, take a walk, excercise, something!  The sunshine and 70 degree weather just feel SO good*.  Almost time to pull out the sundresses, skirts, tank tops, and sandals!  Okay, maybe not almost, but we are a lot closer than we were, darlings.

*Sorry to y'all that are still buried in snow.

Five Things: Grammys Edition

Okay, so it is a little late, but I just finished watching the Grammys last night.  And I don't care who won what.  I'm simply here for the performances and fashion.  Y'all, I have just FIVE things to say:

1.  Lady Gaga, my dear your body is effin' kick ass.  It makes me want to get back in shape and dance.  However, you have upped the- umm, how do I say this nicely- odd factor.  I wasn't really impressed by the whole egg/womb/incubation thing.  I've given birth to a child, I know how it works, I didn't need to see your interpretation.  Kthx.  Oh, and by the way, in regards to your black outfit, I think the Booty Pop is supposed to be worn under your clothes.  But kudos for trying on out anyway!

www.tmz.com

2.  I love you and your sparkly head and big peacock wannabe look, Cee Lo!  Oh, how I love it.  You made me laugh.  And you certainly seemed to be enjoying yourself.  Almost in a drug-induced way, but whatevs.  No judgement.

3.  Gwyneth, bless your heart girl.  You looked so uncomfortable in those heels.  Maybe you should have taken it down a notch before you considered crawling around on that piano.  I am certain you could have done better.  Afterall, you were super awesome on Glee.  Smoochies!  Mean it!

4.  Katy Perry, I really liked the wedding video.  It was sweet.  And I wanted to dance when you were singing Teenage Dream, even though I'm kind of sick of that song.  You are so stinkin' cute.  Even in your Armani "My Boobs Now Have Wings Dress."

5.  Mick Jagger, I was a little concerned that you came out right after they did the "In Memory" piece.  Did that bother you at all?  Anyway, you shake it like you are giving it away for free.  And you are pretty badass.

Honorable mention goes to Nicole Kidman.  How freakin' cute is she?  Singing along and dancing and just being so cute.  Oh, and Justin Bieber for having ninjas in his performance.  It kind of took the attention away from his "Would You Like To See A Wine List" white hotmess of an outfit.

I just don't have the time, nor the inclination to delve into the rest of the fashion.  A lot of the guys looked frumpy (bad hem lines) and a lot of the females looked like strippers (self explanatory).  One more thought on that subject- Nikki Minaj.  NO.  And that is pretty much all I have to say about that, just NO.  Follow me on Twitter (@ajakz) if you want my opinion on such happenings in the future!  

My Valentine

Valentine's Day!  Yay!  What does it MEEEAN?  Nothing.  Not really, anyway.  It is just another completely overcommercialized "holiday."  But it can be fun.  I guess.  Well, I mean, I already told you about my plans... burgers, fries, maybe some deeleecious leetle cupcakes.  However, I totally promised you something EPIC.  And this, friends, is a story of EPIC proportions.  And yes, I feel that the word EPIC needs to be capitalized at all times. 

Let me take you back to a hot summer night, several years ago...

I was hanging out with a friend who was going through a rough time.  She lived in this tiny ass little country town with no bars and nothing fun to do.  After a few drinks and in an effort to entertain ourselves, we called up a friend of hers.  He was hanging out at his house and invited us over.  As we pulled in to the driveway (his house is less than 5 minutes from hers and we weren't drunk), she told me that he was very cute and wanted to know what I thought.  Hence, the need for a code word, or phrase, or something completely NOT obvious.  Because who in their 20's doesn't use code words for cute boys?  Duh.

I'm sure he wondered why we were just sitting in the driveway for so long.  What can I say?  It is hard to think when you are on the spot like that.  So we settled on me telling him that I liked his truck.  Decision made.  Not obvious- he had just a plain old every day run of the mill white truck.  Just like half the people in that tiny ass little country town.  He wouldn't think I was awkward at all.

So we walked up to the door.  He answered and we walked in.  They said their hellos before turning to me.  He said hello.  In a very rushed, panicky voice I spewed "HI I'M AJ I LIKE YOUR TRUCK." 

I just realized that this story is so much better when told in person.  You can't really get quite the effect.  Oh well.  

Anyway, I thought he was such a gentleman.  He was funny.  We got along really well.  And then we did this on again off again dance for about three years.

Not exactly ever ON because he swore he didn't want a girlfriend.  And we would hang out and have a blast and I would hang on for dear life because there was some part of me that thought- against all logic and despite everything that my family and friends said, despite what HE said- that it was just meant to be.

I was right.

It wasn't easy, but it worth it.  If you've seen the movie "He's Just Not That In To You," then you know that very rarely are you the exception to the rule.  I was.  Statistics and history prove that it shouldn't have all fallen into place.

But it did.  And now we live in that tiny ass little country town.  Together.  And he loves me.

And now life is pretty dang close to perfect....

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope you all drink lots of champagne, eat lots of chocolate, and just enjoy the ones that you love whether it is family, friends, or someone special.

All Jacked Up

It is almost weekend time, boys and girls!  Woot!  And boy do I have a lot going on.  Well, kind of, I guess.

First of all, and I am so excited about this, I am working on redecorating my den.  We just had the carpet replaced- and NO I do not even want to think about much less discuss the old carpet ::gag::- and now I'm moving on to the couches.  Instead of replacing them, I opted for slipcovers.  A much less expensive option, especially since there is nothing wrong with the couches other than the fact that they don't match and I need to brighten up the room.  Enter, my new sage slipcovers.

www.jcpenny.com

I hope they look good in person.

That will be project one for the weekend.  Then, we have this massive bookcase that just needs a major overhaul.  For years it held all of Jax's junk.  Now it holds all of our junk.  Mostly just DVDs, old VHS tapes, some books, pictures, and knick knacks.  It needs some organization and maybe some color because it is in the corner and really dark.  I need to Google some inspiration.  And then maybe hit Steinmart or Marshalls for some cute, cheap dustcatchers.

Oh, and I'm not really sorry to report this, but the deer are gone.  And I'm not sure that they are coming back.  However, Jax has promised me that the living room will be finished next year so that I will actually have a mantel to hang our stockings on.  YAY!

Other things on tap for the weekend: filing our taxes, attending a birthday party for one of LJ's friends (the kid is turning one, so it is really an adult party), and watching some racing.  Yes, I watch NASCAR.  And I love it.  The science behind it is pretty interesting.  And it makes for a good long afternoon nap if LJ will allow.  Oh, and the race is on Saturday night- Bud Shootout- but it means that Sunday racing is on its way!

If all that wasn't enough, I'm heading out early from work!  And picking up a keg!  And watching Tuesday night's episode of Glee!  Does it get any better than that?!  In case you are wondering, I got Jax a kegerator for Christmas year before last.  I'm a pretty dang good wife.  But he can be a good wife, too- cleaning and cooking and whatnot.  He deserved a nice kegerator.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Sweet Stuff

I am totally a tradition person.  Maybe I've mentioned it before.  Probably.  Anyway, there is something I really like about knowing what is going to happen.  I don't really care too much for surprises.  I look forward to recreating, making better, and having some sort of clue what I'm in for.

And what could be a better time for tradition than Valentine's Day?

Pink and red and champagne and glittery sparkles of love...

Or a huge ass cheeseburger and fries.  That, my friends, is true love.  A day to not count points.  A day to stuff my face full of greasy goodness and know that my husband will still love and respect me in the morning.

And yes, I'm serious.  One of our first real dates was on Valentine's Day.  He took me to Ruby Tuesdays because that was the closest restaurant.  Don't judge.  We live out in the country.  Well, except I wasn't living with him at the time.  I was just over the moon that he had asked me out.  And for Valentine's Day!  ::swoon::

So we ordered burgers.  He got the one that is so big they have to drive a steak knife through it so that it doesn't explode all over the innocent bystanders that are precariously positioned in the booth behind him.  I was in awe.  It looked really good.  Oh, he didn't finish it.  It was just too big.  I had a bacon cheeseburger.  It was very small in comparison, but still oh so good.

Then we went back to his house and watched The Notebook.  My choice, obvs.  Do you mind if I swoon again?  PS. I would like to inform you that Noah's plantation IRL is the plantation next door to the one I grew up on.  That isn't the real house, sorry to break your hearts.  The real house is nice, though.  Also, the assisted living that Noah and Allie are in throughout the movie is the same one my grandmother was in... she lived there while they were taping.  The exterior shots are not the same place.

So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday.

And my favorite quote, the one that always makes me cry,"That's my sweetheart in there. Wherever she is, that's where my home is."  Sweet little James Gardener.  I love that old man.
Where was I?  Oh yeah.  Burgers.  Valentine's Day.  The only thing that could possibly top burgers and fries is cupcakes.  Or cheesecake.  But really, probably cupcakes. 

And just for you, my loves, on Valentine's Day I will share with you the story of how Jax and I met.  Trust me, this is one you don't want to miss.  It is EPIC.  EPIC I TELL YOU! 

Full Of Words

I think another four letter word would more accurately describe me.  Oh well.  Let's just go with it.

I love reading blogs.  I love reading what other people are thinking, doing, feeling, etc.  It is interesting.  I have made quite a few observations, which I will share with you now because CLEARLY you want to know what I'm thinking, doing, feeling, etc.*  Right? 

There are a lot of truly talented writers out there.  And they are also interesting people.  Or maybe it is their simple attention to detail, their pictures, their willingness to put it all out there.  Maybe it is their attitude of, "I don't give a damn what you think.  I rule this fine establishment."  Anyway, I love them.

There are a lot of people who aren't really good writers, but people follow them just because.  It is totally a popularity contest.  The cute girl with her perfect life who gushes about how wonderful it is to be her (I'm talking about myself, obvs.**)

There are people who write about things that I truly don't care about.  And I skip over their blogs, but for some reason just can't take them off of my reader JUST IN CASE they surprise me and say something worth reading.

There are some that just entertain the hell out of me.  I get excited about their blogs, much as I do when I pick up a copy of US Weekly. 

There are some that just seem like awesome people.  And some that seem like they could possibly be assholes in real life.  Maybe I'm the asshole. 

Confession:  I hate Katy Perry's Firework song.  That totally makes me an asshole because it has such a great message.  And it always makes me think of Kurt Hummel from Glee, whom I love and adore- because he is real and all.  Also?  When I drive out of the grocery store parking lot, I usually realize that I have forgotten about 10 things because I didn't even put them on my list. 

I'm an asshole.

Oh yeah, and I don't write eloquently.  Sorry.  I just kind of vomit all over the page and you get what you get.  And I rarely post pictures because my computer is old as dog shit and I'm lazy.  There you go.

I'm always full of things that I want to say, but I don't want to drone on and be boring.  I try to be a good person and have an awesome life- because I really do- but I don't think you really want to hear about how spectacular it was when, in truth, it was just a normal day.

I look forward to reading blogs every day, or almost every day.  I even look forward to writing, most days.   And yes, sometimes even posting pictures.  Then sometimes I just want to hide under the covers and take a really long nap. 

*I am not delusional enough to think this, really.  I'm sure you are all just bored and have nothing better to do at this particular moment, so you stopped by to see what I'm whining about today.
**Not really.

Not So Appropriate

Kind of like inappropriate.
I'm no prude, but listening to someone from my company (who will remain nameless, but she is pretty high up on the food chain) talk about her teenage daughter and referencing ::ahem:: blow jobs and crack are not my idea of a good time.  Sure, you can joke with girlfriends about that kind of stuff.  But sitting around a conference table, while finishing lunch with other coworkers, makes for an uncomfortable situation.

Cue the awkward laugh.

Of course there were more stories to follow.  Each one quite unpleasant with it's sexual innuendos.  And she chortles like a... well, something that chortles.  Not that I was offended because I wasn't.  Most people enjoy a good story about a preacher and nuts (actual cocktail nuts, but it came with a sausage), right?

Sorry Mr. Peanut. 

I mean, I guess it is a good thing that we have all worked together for so long that she feels comfortable, but I don't really care for things like that in what should be a professional setting.  Skeevy. 

When I go to my friend Daina's bachelorette party in a few months I say, "Bring on the penis straws and condom veils!"  Well, probably not, but if anyone wants to I will not be offended or anything.

And because I've mentioned it every other day, I'm still waiting.  I know I said this week, but it is looking like two or three more weeks.  So let's just drop the subject, 'mkay?  Thxbai.  XOXO

No More Blob

My baby... he's growing up.  It is hard to be sad because, duh, it is what he is supposed to do.  And it is truly a wonderful thing.  When I come home I am just plain exhausted from sitting behind a desk all day and being in the car for what seems like an eternity (hour and a half both ways).  It is like a shot of adrenaline to see him grinning from ear to ear and bouncing up and down and reaching out his arms for me to pick him up.  He gets so excited. 

He isn't my little blob anymore.  He babbles a little and has different facial expressions.  And for the most part, he is just so dang happy.  Oh, unless he is hungry.  That boy LOVES to eat.

I put him in the highchair a couple of nights ago to feed him.  Y'all before I could even sit down he had opened his mouth so wide I could have put the whole bowl in there.  And I SWEAR he was practically vibrating.  He was shaking!  Poor thing seemed like he hadn't had a meal in months (I promise we feed him, quite regularly!)

In the mornings, he looks over to his bookcase where we keep his teddy bear.  He wants it and knows exactly where it is.  He is even working on crawling.  Well, he mostly just rocks back and forth.

How did this happen?  I know everyone has always told me that it goes by so fast, but it is unbelievable to me that in four and a half months that blob that I brought home from the hospital- the one that kept me up at all hours of the night, the one that I could tote around in one arm, the one that just stared at me because he didn't know what to make of me in much the same way that I didn't know what to make of him- will be a year old.

He has such an amazing little personality.  And he still snuggles in to me when he is sleepy.  And he still stares at me intently, but now I think he gets it.  I think I'm getting it, too.

My sweet boy- and he does have a diaper on, it is just hard to see

Poor quality.  Jax gets irritated when I use my Blackberry and not my nice camera.  But sometimes my camera is in another room.  And my BB stays attached to my hand, pretty much.

I'm still waiting y'all.  As patiently as possible....

I Should Tell You

And this is not an announcement, just a statement of fact.  I do not play the waiting game well.  AT. ALL.  As my granddaddy used to say, "I have a lot of patience because I never use any."  That describes me pretty dang accurately. 

So, here I sit... waiting. 

I am doing everything in my power to concentrate on other things.  Work, writing this, playing solitaire (don't tell anyone, please), daydreaming about- well, nevermind.  The point is that I am slowly, but surely, running out of things to keep me distracted.  HALP!

The good news?  It is 70 and sunny here today!  Holla!  Unfortunately, tomorrow will be in the 40's and rainy.  It hardly seems fair.

Y'all, I have just realized that I have resorted to writing about the weather.  And it isn't like we are having the Snowpocalypse like up North or Midwest and wherever else.  Non-weather weather.  I should just give up writing altogether.

I will praying for the waiting game to be over, and I'm sure y'all will be praying just as hard so that maybe I will have something interesting to say.  I'm just gonna peace out now.  XOXO

Something New

Alright, I've kept y'all in the dark long enough.  Here we go.  My first big announcement of the week....

I am beyond pleased to announce that as of today I will be a Stylist for

The jewelry is so ridiculously gorgeous!  And who doesn't like a fun get-together with the girls?!  If you are in the Charleston area and would like me to help you plan a party, please contact me.  And if you aren't in the Charleston area, we can absolutely plan an online party! 

If you aren't familiar with Stella and Dot, feel free to check out my website www.stelladot.com/ajackson.  You won't click that little red X without falling head over heels for at least 10 different things, trust me!

I am so excited!  And if my luck continues the way it has been going for the last week, I am going to have something utterly amazing to tell you later this week.  Maybe as soon as tomorrow!  If my luck changes, and everything goes bust, don't worry I will most certainly be telling you about that, too.

Okay, fine, you are tired of reading my drivel... you are now free to go drool over Stella and Dot.  Let me know what you think!

I Feel Light

Today has been a fantastic day.  I literally feel like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders.  And even though I know that it may be temporary, it is all good for now.  I will take what I can get and be thankful for it.

LJ has slept until at least 6am for the past three nights.  No screaming.  I believe this is largely due to the fact that we stopped giving him the meds for his nasty cough.

I had some extra time to spend with my family this morning.  And I drank both of my cups of coffee while sitting on the couch, not buzzing around getting ready.

After being on Weight Watchers for only three days, I am down two pounds from my lowest weight.  By lowest weight, I mean that it fluctuates by a few pounds.  And I feel great.

Jax and I are having dinner with some good friends tomorrow night.  Sushi, my favorite.  I plan to enjoy the hell out of it.

When I get home tonight, I plan to play with LJ until I put him in the bed.  Then I'm going to pour some wine and have a nice dinner and relax with my husband.

Life is good y'all.  At least today it is.  And that is all that matters right now.

I hope you all have a great weekend.  Just a heads up, big news coming TWICE next week.  Good, bad, who knows?  You will have to tune in and find out!

Junk And Other Fun Stuff

I am at a complete loss.  Are you seriously telling me that it is ONLY Wednesday?  Wait, it is Wednesday, right?  My brain is on overload.

Good news!  LJ slept all.night.long.  Of course, I should have expected this since Jax was going to get up with him should he turn into the Screaming Banshee Child again.  I literally leapt out of bed at 4:30am because I was sure the fact that he hadn't made a peep meant that he was... well, no need to get morbid on your asses... on a freakin' Wednesday, no less.

The funny thing is that I didn't have my contacts in- because, duh, it was 4:30 in the morning- and I didn't put my glasses on.  And I swear when I walked into his room I didn't see him in his crib.  He was balled up in a corner.  My heart was up in my throat somewhere because I thought my kid was gone.  Yeah, he is 7 months old, so I'm not sure exactly where he would have been.  I don't even pretend like I'm rational at that time of morning.

So, you may be wondering what I've been up to this week.  No?  Okay, well I will tell you anyway.  I gave my work computer a virus.  No need to go into how (it might have been while I was searching for an image for my blog- hence, no pictures today!), but just let it be known that the computer guy told me it is happening to everybody.  He may have been lying, but it made me feel better.

I have also joined Weight Watchers.  It is easy for me because I pretty much eat the same things everyday. 

Fact 1:  I don't drink nearly enough water.  I already knew that.
Fact 2:  It seems that I don't eat enough food, either.  How the hell is that?  I eat.  I love food.  And more importantly, if I'm not eating enough food, then why am I not a skinny little skank bitch like I wanna be?  HUH?  Answer me that!  No, really, I don't think I need the details.

Last but not least, I have something really important to tell y'all.  Unfortunately, it will have to wait.  Can't really divulge too many secrets because HELLO it is the Interwebz and I'm not sure who all is reading this junk*.  Give me a week or two and I promise I will tell.

*Thank you Ke$ha for bringing the word junk back into my life.  I didn't even realized how much I missed it until I found myself referring to my own junk.  Junk= need for Weight Watchers.

Issues: I Haz 'Em

Bear with me.  I heard a therapist on tv say that it was good to talk about your issues.

So, we know that LJ hasn't been sleeping.  Which means that I haven't been sleeping.  Ladies and Gents, we have now completed night number 8 with very little sleep- in max amounts of 2.5 hours before I am jumping out of the bed.  I think I read one time that you start hallucinating after 11 nights of no sleep.  Wonder how that translates to "very little" sleep?

Apparently, for me, it translates into OHMAHGAWDCREEPYNIGHTMARES.  On night 8 of very little sleep, I had two ginormous nightmares that I can remember.  One was so bad that I got out of bed and went to tell Jax every little detail that I could remember.  He rolled his eyes and told me to go back to bed. 

Super Scary Nightmare #1:

Jax and I were in some house, more like a condo really.  Everything was white.  I was reading Twilight and everything that I read was coming true.  Except that it wasn't Twilight.  And someone had poisoned this woman, who was actually in the upstairs of the house/condo thing.  Sidenote:  She looked like Abby from General Hospital if anyone needs a visual.  So anyway, we found out that someone had poisened her and her child.  But the child wasn't there- I hadn't gotten that far in the book yet.  So Jax was telling me to look for the poison because the woman started bleeding from her mouth and we had to figure it out before it spread to her eyes.  But, duh, what do I do when I find it because then I will be poisoned, too?!  So I stopped reading the book, but then it didn't stop!  Holy crap, right?!  And then I woke up.  Thankfully.

Super Scary Nightmare #2:

I was at the beach and noticed that someone was following me.  I realized that he had a gun.  As I crossed the beach access, I sped up because he was far enough behind me that I could duck down behind the dunes and run back to the beach house.  I lost him.  When I got back to the house, the FBI was there.  They told me that Jax and I, along with some of our friends, had been put on a hit list.  These people were like snipers and were totally going to kill us.  So I freaked out because I thought they might go looking for me at my parents' house and kill my Mama and Daddy.  Then these big dogs attacked the FBI guys and I woke up.  The end.

What does it MEAN???  I'm really not into analyzing dreams or anything, but I'm thinking I have two choices:  1.  Go to bed at 7:00pm tonight.  2.  Stop eating spaghetti for dinner (never gonna happen).

No One Wants To Hear It

But y'all, I am tired.  Exhausted.  LJ, as he will henceforth be known because I am too lazy to type out Little J, has been waking up super early and just SCREAMING.  Early, like 3:30.  Last night was better, he didn't start the screaming until 5:00.  And the worst part is that I can't figure out what is wrong.

He just screams and cries.  My guess is teething.  Sometimes numbing his gums helps, sometimes only a bottle will soothe him.  And unfortunately for me, drinking liquor that early is not really acceptable- or feasible since I have to go to work. 

So the screaming continues.  And it just wears me down.  One night is fine, but it has been all week.  So then I feel guilty for feeling sorry for myself, when he is obviously in pain or upset or something.

On top of that, and I refuse to harp on this because y'all on twitter hear it enough, my job situation is overwhelming me.  Not my job, just my situation.

I need to get the next Twilight book fast.  Escapism is key, y'all.

A Weekend in Pictures- Charleston, SC

Our night out in Charleston was utterly divine.  I don't know how else to describe it.  Yes, of course, I missed Little J.  Surprisingly enough, we didn't spend the entire evening talking about him.  It was like a date we would have enjoyed before we were married- before we ever thought about having kids.

The Library at Vendue Inn is an interesting little place.  Although it was converted from an old grain warehouse, the rooms are reminicent of an old house.  Small.  Charming.  Oh yeah, and then there is the Alice in Wonderland factor.  The room where we were seated was at the bottom of a staircase, putting us below street level.  However, up a smaller set of stairs in the same room was a balcony at street level, which held an small two top and overlooked the street.  Looking up towards the high ceilings I noticed a small door.  Again, it was connected to a balcony.  However, this balcony was only a foot wide and about six feet long.  All leading to nowhere.  Very Alice-esque. 

We began our dinner with cocktails.  A dirty martini for Jax and a glass of J Brut for me.  Incidentally, we were not charged for these drinks.  I believe it may have to do with the fact that we waited so long for them.  That fact was long forgotten when we were presented with our appetizer and first wine pairing.

Fried Green Tomato and Crab Cake Stack

The apps were such large portions that I wasn't even hungry when the entree came!  Crab cakes are not my favorite, but the crab was extremely mild.  Jax had the Balsamic Calamari, which were unbelievably good.

Pork Loin Milanese

For the main course, Jax had the Greek Lamb burger.  He felt odd ordering a burger in a fine dining atmosphere, but it was well worth it.  Amazing.  I wished that I had gotten it instead.  My pork loin was a little on the bland side, but not too bad.

Gelato Tree

For dessert, Jax had the Grand Marnier creme brulee.  I ordered the choice of three Gelato.  I was not impressed with the selection, but the result was fantastic.  Eggnog, Esspresso, and Mango.  The mango was my least favorite.  The eggnog was sinful.

The wines were well paired with the meal.  However, I could not even begin to remember what was poured, an unfortunate combination of much alcohol and a "first date" high.

After dinner, we headed to the Market Pavillion rooftop bar.  It is truly one of my favorite places in Charleston.  Phenonenal views, an elegant atmosphere, and the very spot were Jax proposed to me nearly three years ago.

I highly recommend a weekend in Charleston if you've never been.  It is unbelievably romantic, with so much to do, eat, and drink.

Finally, over the Ravenel Bridge and to the Isle of Palms for brunch at Coconut Joe's!

Forgive me if some of the pictures are a little dark.  Those were taken with my BlackBerry.  Come on now... you didn't think I'd haul out the big gun in the middle of such a fine establishment, did you?  But I certainly wanted to!